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How Can I Tell When the Coffee Beans are Perfectly Roasted?

When it comes to coffee, the New Zealand palate may be one of the most refined in the world. We love good coffee here, and we have many places we can go to find that coffee. So, how can you stand out from the crowd when you are serving coffee to customers at your cafe? How do you make the perfect cup at home? And how can you treat your employees to the very best on their breaks to keep productivity high?

When you are concerned with the perfect pour, you must weave together a number of elements to achieve your goal. You need the right equipment and tools, you need to train or practice, and you must have a coffee roaster that knows when the coffee beans are perfectly roasted.

So, how does the coffee roaster approach the bean? Is there more than one way to roast a bean? Where do the best beans come from, and how can you get your hands on them? Here, we will answer these questions and help you to understand a bit more about the magical process of getting the bean from the plantation to your palate. Read on for a look behind the scenes and learn how to tell when the coffee beans are perfectly roasted.

 

Where do Coffee Beans Come From?

Coffee has been grown, roasted and enjoyed around the world for centuries. As the story goes, an Ethiopian goat herder is thought to have discovered its invigorating properties after observing his goats demeanour after they had eaten the green beans from the plant – this was apparently in 850 AD!

Beans have been cultivated in India since the 1600s, and the first roasted beans are recorded as being offered for sale in 1865 in Pittsburgh, USA. These days, Brazil produces almost half of the coffee exported around the world and there is actually a ‘coffee belt’ which encompasses a defined area where the climate is right for growing coffee plants. Central and South America are particularly renowned for their exceptional products.

How Do You Roast Coffee Beans?

While there are a few popular techniques for roasting green beans, we like the classic Venetian roasting technique handed down through generations of passionate Italian coffee roasters. This involves the coffee roaster taking the green bean and heating it in a ‘drum’. Inside the roaster, the beans are heated by flames to a temperature that can range from around 195- 250 degrees, depending on the type of roast desired. 

 

What Are The Types Of Roasts?

Beans can be light, medium or dark roasted, and the level of heat applied determines the result. The texture of the bean changes as it is heated, releasing more oil the higher the heat and changing colour to reflect the three different levels of roast. Coffee roasting is an art and a science and a good coffee roaster will note the aroma change and the change in the appearance of the bean to identify when the bean is perfectly roasted according to their goals for that particular batch.

Dark Roasted Coffee Beans

If the coffee roaster is looking to achieve a dark roast with intense flavours, including wood, ash, tobacco or a rich cocoa flavour, they will heat the bean to around 240-250°C. The bean will take on a slick, oily texture at the surface and the profile may be smoky at the body and exhibit delicious chocolaty undertones.

Medium Roasted Coffee Beans

By heating the beans to around 210-220°C, the coffee roaster can produce a medium roast. This may be characterised by nutty or caramel flavours and there should be a slight oily sheen to the bean. Medium roast is popular for its slight acidity, and while it may be less intense, it can still evoke rich profiles, including cereal.

Light Roasted Coffee Beans

When a coffee roaster opts to create a light roast, they may look to produce more vegetal tones. The coffee may have a floral, fruity taste and the temperature applied would be around 196-205°C. Light roasted beans can be very matte and dry in texture, and the flavour may be more subtle but still nuanced.

The First & Second Crack

By applying a dedicated temperature, which produces a series of chemical reactions, the coffee roaster can lead the beans through a first and second crack. These ‘cracks’, which are audible, indicate that the bean has reached a crucial point in the roasting process.

 The First Crack

Similar to popping corn, the first crack occurs when the water vapour reaches a definitive temperature point in the heating process. The rapidly expanding carbon dioxide levels and the loss of moisture cause the bean to crack and the flavour profile at this point will move from grassy or herbal to citrus and floral.

The Second Crack

The second crack signals the breakdown of the cell structure of the bean. This is where the oils begin to emerge on the surface, and the noise is like the crackling of embers in a fire. Here, the smoky, oily and chocolatey flavours emerge to produce a robust earthy flavour profile.

Timing is Everything

Alongside training, intuition and a nose and ear for the job, your coffee roaster will be able to tell when the beans are perfectly roasted by observing the time, applying the correct temperature, and removing the beans from the heat at the moment that corresponds best to the roast they are looking to achieve. Removing heat too soon—before the first crack—may produce a bland and underdeveloped profile, and waiting too long past the second crack will deliver a burnt bean.

 

Let the Experts Take Care of You

At Segafredo Zanetti, we have been mastering the art of coffee roasting for generations. We own plantations around the world, and we take care of the entire process so we can ensure quality remains consistently high. You can buy a range of great coffee beans from our online store for your home or your commercial enterprise, and we produce organic and fair trade blends that are full-bodied, smooth or mild, depending on your preferences. 

 

Shop the range here, or get in touch to chat with our friendly staff about all the facets of great coffee, including commercial machine rental and our training and maintenance services.